Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankeinai yo ne Vol 4 Chapter 6

Now then, today was a school holiday.

On this beautiful day, I had invited a certain someone to our dorm so I could keep my promise with Akiko.

“Waa. This brings back memories, doesn’t it~”

A woman had stopped at the gates and was looking up with glittering eyes at the two story building. Her name was Jinno Kaoruko-san.

She had a child-like face that didn’t match her age, a warm smile, and her trademark serious, drooping eyes. This was my editor.

“I thought it would be more worn out, but actually, it looks perfectly fine. It should hold up as a student dorm for quite a while.”

“No no, quite a few parts are showing their age, aren’t they? Well, I’ll have a contractor come over and fix some things here and there soon, so it’ll be much better.”

“Buildings immediately break down after people leave, don’t they~? Ah, by the way, Akito-kun, doesn’t your complexion seem a bit off? Maybe you’re not feeling well?”

“Hm, is that so? But no, nothing of the sort.”

“Really~? Then that’s good. As a professional author, it’s part of your job to manage your health. Please be properly aware of that… Ah, who’s that over there?”

“Yes, that’s my little sister… Hey, Akiko, come over here.”

My little sister came over to us when I called her. She had been standing in the doorway.

“…I’m Himenokouji Akiko. Pleased to meet you.”

“Jinno Kaoruko. Likewise, pleased to meet you.”

They introduced themselves to each other.

Unlike Jinno-san, who had introduced herself with a warm smile, Akiko was cautious, an obstinate expression bare on her face. They clasped each other’s hands; it seemed like they weren’t going to jump at each other’s throats.

Now let me explain how things got to this point.

Jinno-san had called our home a while ago, and Akiko was the one who answered.

At the moment it seemed Jinno-san asked if Akiko and I had some sort of inappropriate relations.h.i.+p.

Akiko took offense to this, and demanded an explanation from me.

Later, Jinno-san introduced herself. She had me promise to prove my innocence.

Part of it was to let her come by for a visit today.

“Well, I’m really sorry Jinno-san. It’s must be your precious day off, after all.”

“No no, it’s fine. This is perfect timing for me anyway. I was wondering ‘where to go, where to go?’ earlier, and if this opportunity hadn’t shown up I probably wouldn’t have had anything to do.”

“Ah, thank you. Being able to hear that puts me at ease… With that said, I’m curious about something you said earlier.”

“Yes?”

“When you were talking earlier, Jinno-san, it sounded to me as if you had some connection to this dormitory. Is that just my imagination?”

“No, it’s not your imagination~”

Jinno-san nodded, smiling calmly as always.

“I mean, I’m an alumna of St. Liliana Academy.”

“Eh? Is that so? This is the first time I’ve ever heard of it.”

“Really? Now that I think about it, I suppose I never mentioned it.”

“Jeez, please tell me stuff like that. After all, if you had we would’ve been able to talk about all kinds of things.”

“By the way, I lived in this dorm for three years.”

“Seriously?!”

If that was the case, then wouldn’t it have been better to tell me earlier?

Maybe she kept it secret so she could surprise me later, I wonder? No, I don’t feel like it’s that at all. Maybe she just forgot to mention it… No, I feel it’s not quite that either.

Yep. As always, I can’t understand her tempo.

“I was your partner for your previous work, and on top of that I’m your senpai from not only the same school, but the same dorm too. I’m going to enjoy relentlessly training you from now on, Akito-kun. I look forward to working with you.”

“Ah, thanks. I look forward to working with you as well.”

As Jinno-san bowed her head down to me, I also lowered my head to her. It was a bit odd of her to say something so gentle right after telling me she was going to train me relentlessly.

“Muu….”

That’s how my little sister reacted when she saw Jinno-san.

“He’s indebted to her at work, and she’s a senpai from both our school and this dormitory. Furthermore, she looks cute. With these conditions put together, this person is dangerous no matter how you look at it. She even seems incredibly kind… This is troubling…”

She seemed to be quite confused about various things.

“Um, Akiko-san.”

Jinno-san stepped forward.

“I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time now, and I’ve finally been able to fulfill this heartfelt desire of mine today. I’m very happy.”

“Ah, okay. Thanks.”

“And you know? After meeting you, there was something that I wanted to talk to you about no matter what.”

“What could that be?”

She asked.

Jinno-san took a deep breath and screamed:

“I truly think Akito-kun is a horrible person~!”

She shouted with all her might (her voice was only about 20 percent louder than normal though), and then abused me with all she had.

“Akito-kun is truly, truly horrible. Even if I ask him, ‘Please finish your work by today,’ he never finishes it at all. And even though he says things like, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll have it finished by that day without fail!’ while br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence, when the day comes, he won’t be finished after all. And then, when I check how he’s doing, he’ll only have done another page — no, not even that, he won’t have progressed even one bit since the previous time~!”

“O-Oh…”

“First of all, Akito-kun is still a complete newcomer — no, not even that, his career has just barely started — he still has to gain his customer’s trust, so this is a very, very important time for him. But even though I’ve told him this over and over again, he doesn’t listen to what I say. If only Akito-kun was brought up to be more reliable, I wouldn’t have to get scolded by the company president every time. What do you think about this?! Akiko-san~!”

“Ah, yes. Um, I think it is a very bad thing.”

Even though Jinno Kaoruko-san was angry, her words weren’t scary at all. True to her reputation, even though Jinno-san was panting with rage, it wasn’t menacing at all. But still, you could tell she was troubled from the bottom of her heart. Akiko seemed a little perplexed as she watched.

By the way, I wanted to keep my work (I’m a light novel author for now) a secret from my little sister. But with Jinno-san’s mood now, she might carelessly let something slip (although she’s only let about half of it slip so far).

Did she really have to let it all out now? I think unskillfully trying to stop an agitated woman would end up backfiring though…

“With that said, Akiko-san!”

“Y-Yes?”

“Please make your brother more reliable! If you don’t, my company will take my head~!”

“O-Okay. I’ll do my best.”

“I beg of you! Turn Akito-kun into a serious, full fledged member of society. Anything is fine!”

“Anything?”

*Sparkle*

My sister’s eyes lit up dangerously.

“Onii-chan has caused Jinno-san trouble, so to rehabilitate him into an honest man, you’ll allow anything — is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes!”

“So you don’t care what it takes?”

“Exactly that!”

Oi oi, are you okay, Jinno-san? You’re kind of forcefully handing me off to her with an ‘anything goes’ mentality. Don’t be surprised when everything goes wrong if you speak rashly and she takes you up on your offer. Although… it seems she’s at her wit’s end; she can’t see the consequences of her actions.

“I understand, leave it to me.”

See, I told you so. Just like I said, no? Akiko is dangerously excited now.

“Since Onii-chan’s superior begged me, there’s no other choice. I, Himenokouji Akiko, humbly accept this mission.”

“Wow, thank you! If Akiko-san lends me her power, our combined strength will be tremendous~!”

“Please rest easy and leave it all to me. I even have some ideas about rehabilitating Onii-chan already.”

“Really?! What would that be?!”

“Yes. Namely, ‘Operation Kind-Onii-chan-who-is-all-over-his-little-sister-and-does-everything-she-says.’ ”

“…E-Excuse me?”

“The objective is simple: if Onii-chan falls in love with me even more, then he’ll do whatever I tell him — that’s all. As they say, ‘s.h.i.+mpuru izu besuto.’ The simpler things are, the better the results.”

“…? ……?”

“From now on, I’m going to try all sorts of things to make Onii-chan fall in love with me, okay? I’ll give him goodmorning and goodnight kisses; I’ll exchange all sorts of affectionate expressions; I will thoroughly, without fail, enforce face-to-face skins.h.i.+p: hugging, sleeping together, holding hands, caressing heads — by giving him all of these rewards, Onii-chan will surely cherish me even more. Onii-chan and I will spend more time with each other. Of course, because we’re together day and night, I can easily see if Onii-chan is inconveniencing Jinno-san, right? This is, beyond any conceivable doubt, the most perfect plan… Wow, my own genius scares me…”

“Ah… Ehm…”

Akiko’s sudden outburst completely bewildered Jinno-san. Although, after that kind of first impression, it was probably only natural to react like that.

“So, will you leave the ‘Onii-chan Remodelling Plan’ to me, Jinno-san?”

“…Ehm, could I ask an awkward question?”

“Yes. What is it?”

“Could it be that Akiko-san is a hopeless bro-con?”

“Yes, absolutely!”

My little sister puffed up with pride and immediately replied.

“A brother complex is a distinguis.h.i.+ng feature, you know! A gift from the G.o.ds! From the moment I was born until now, I’ve always been watching Onii-chan, and I’ll continue loving only Onii-chan forever more!”

“Ehm, in other words, you see Akito-kun as a man, or…?”

“Of course!”

“……Auu~”

Jinno-san seemed embarra.s.sed at Akiko, who didn’t look ashamed at all.

Yep. About now should be the right time.

“Come on, Akiko. Can’t you see that you’re troubling Jinno-san? This is already enough.”

“Ah. Yes, I’m sorry, Onii-chan. I got too pa.s.sionate and was rude to our guest, who went to great lengths to visit us.”

“Yep, please be more careful from now on. So, do you understand now?”

“Excuse me? Understand what?”

“That Jinno-san and I don’t have a weird relations.h.i.+p. Wasn’t that why I asked Jinno-san to come over in the first place?”

“Ah, that’s certainly true! You showed me that Jinno-san is in the minority: a very good person!”

“I see. Then I’m glad .”

Seems like I wasn’t able to explain everything, but… well, it’s fine.

But rather than my sister, I’m more worried about our guest.

“Eeehm, sorry, Jinno-san, seems like we’ve been talking out here for a while. Please come on in for now. Akiko has prepared tea and sweets.”

“…The brother’s a sis-con, and the sister’s a bro-con… That’s not good… That’s not good at all… If I don’t do something…”

“Jinno-san?”

“AH, YES—?! What is it?!”

“It’s a little strange to be chatting out here. Please come in. We’d be happy to hear about your memories from this dorm and various other things.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right, isn’t it? Then please excuse me for imposing on your kindness.”

Jinno-san said. She flashed a smile, but her expression seemed stiff overall.

Her impression of me has suddenly hit rock bottom… Well, I’ll make sure to fix that shortly.

And, as I expected, Jinno-san gradually lightened up.

“Wooow! It didn’t change at all~!”

Jinno-san got ecstatic the moment she set foot into the dorm.

“Wow, this one’s still here~”

“Ah, but that one seems to be broken! How sad~”

“Ah, here, here! This crack! I crashed into that one, you know~ I got scolded harshly back then…”

In that kind of affectionate mood, she told us about her days as a student. The spontaneity of her mood changes and that she didn’t let herself be affected for too long were Jinno-san’s strong points.

Well, even if it wasn’t her, this was a situation where tensions were rising. Legally speaking, this building was on the brink of being demolished. From Jinno-san’s point of view, it must have felt as if she had lost her wallet and given up on looking for it, only for it to suddenly turn up out of nowhere.

With that feeling in mind, we had tea in the dining/conference room after a quick look around the dorm. Everyone was present since they had been informed beforehand.

“Mah, well met. As da student council president ‘n a resident of this dorm I welcome da visit of mah senpai from da bottom of mah heart.”

“You’re quite the cute beauty, and I must say that you’re wasted on Akkii.”

“The strange and pretty ones always seemed to be drawn towards Akito… Well, be that as it may, I don’t intend to be cold to a senpai who went of of her way to visit us. Let’s give her the best hospitality we can offer.”

Prez, Nasuhara-san, and Ginbei said.

It seems Jinno-san had made a good impression of each of them. Well, Jinno-san looked like the typical airhead/softhearted character at first glance, so she didn’t leave a bad impression unless something major happened.

In any case, the tea party was progressing with a harmonious atmosphere. With the cheesecake Akiko baked and the spare a.s.sam[1] Ginbei took out, it was a tea party held with wonderful taste. There were even flowers. Also, Jinno-san’s talk about this dorm’s traditions and customs made for interesting conversation. To sum it up, we were having a good time.

Then, as we were about to break up for the day, Jinno-san, who had been smiling until then, suddenly looked nervous and started conversation again:

“Um, excuse me. Can I ask something~?”

After that preface she looked at her kouhai’s faces and continued:

“Eeehm, there’s something I’d like to ask about Akito-kun…”

“Hoho~ What about Himenokouji Akito?”

At times like these, the seniors took the lead — going by that, prez took the initiative and dealt with the request.

“For some reason ya lookin’ gloomy or… how tah say… like ya can’t help worryin’? Maybe this fellow here’s guilty of somethin’? If so, then don’t worry ‘n tell me, it’s mah duty as the student council president, after all.”

“No, well, it’s not that. Akito-kun didn’t exactly do anything harmful, no…”

“No, no, Jinno-san, no need to keep talkin’, I gotcha already. Jinno-san’s a real beauty, so it ain’t farfetched for Himenokouji Akito to lose control, aight?”

“Sure… Lose control, you say?”

“Anyone can imagin’ it, nay? Jinno-san bein’ a stunnin’ beauty, young men burstin’ with desires… combine those two and ya get one answer. Ain’t that it, Himenokouji Akito?”

“What’s ‘it’?”

I returned the president’s gaze with scornful eyes.

“Please don’t force your own values on everything. To begin with, Prez is the one bursting with desires here, not me, right?”

“Oi, oi. Ain’t good lyin’ to yourself, ya know? It’s rather impolite to not get h.o.r.n.y in front of a beauty like Jinno-san, don’tcha think so? Actually, even I was burnin’ up the second I saw her, so… if the circ.u.mstances’d allow it, I’d already be conquerin’ her and about now we’d be done with having our pillow talk in mah bed. Ain’t that right, Jinno-san?”

“Eh? E-Ee-Eeehm, excuse me?”

“Calm down a bit, prez. Please do not ogle my precious coworker… I’m sorry, Jinno-san. Our president is that kind of person. Don’t mind it too much.”

“S-Sure…”

“Kakaka. That ain’t it, Jinno-san looked very tensed, ya know? So before I knew it I went outta mah way to loosen her up a bit with some blunt shockin’.”

“What blunt shocking? Wasn’t that just s.e.xual hara.s.sment?”

“If ya think so, why don’t’cha try askin’ her? Ya can check whether she was uncomfortable or whether it went accordin’ to mah plan.”

“That kind of thing doesn’t need any asking. Loosening someone up with so coa.r.s.ely couldn’t possibly——”

“Ah, I did loosen up, you know?”

Jinno-san nonchalantly replied, contrary to my expectations.

“I certainly was surprised, but it’s not like I felt uncomfortable. Well, the compliments weren’t elegant by any standard, and it felt rather mischievous. Nikaido-san is somewhat strange, isn’t she?”

“…See? Told ya.”

“You serious…?”

Jinno-san smiled, and our student council president was elated with her own success. My shock probably contributed to that too.

“Even though Nikaido-san is much younger than me, she’s reliable and calming. Isn’t she amazing? I think she’s well suited to be Liliana’s student council president.”

“You’re stackin’ the compliments, aren’t’cha? If yer alright with it, what’cha doin’ tonight? If you decide to be with a certain fancy student council prez, I’ll love ya tenderly ‘til the sun rises.”

“Jeez, stop it. I don’t swing that way~”

“Oops, mah bad, I’m bein’ rude. But Jinno-san, everyone says that at first. If I just give up with that, I’d be all out of girls. I’ll make mah move some other day. Please prepare yerself.”

“Ara, ara. Nothing will come out of making a move on this old lady, you know~?”

…Hm.

It certainly doesn’t seem like Jinno-san hates it, or rather, it looks like she might even be enjoying this stupid exchange. Although, that’s probably only because prez is skilled at carrying those kind of conversations, and not because Jinno-san was innately interested in that sort of thing.

I get it. It must be something like an advanced playboy’s technique. Although she’s joking around, she doesn’t make her target uncomfortable. Her techniques that of a a first-cla.s.s host.

“So, what did’cha want earlier? Ya had somethin’ ya wanted to say, aight?”

“Ah, right, right, that’s it, something like that. Eehm, you see…”

Jinno-san cleared her throat with a cough and strained her shoulders again.

Now… what on Earth’s is she going to say? A topic Jinno-san hadn’t mentioned until now… There wasn’t any reason to talk about work here, so it was probably something private, but what would she talk about in this kind of situation? I have no id—

“Ehm, I’ve got a question for all of you.”

Jinno-san’s eyes filled with resolve, and then she said:

“Don’t you think that Akito-kun is a huge siscon—?”

…

……

…………

Silence filled the room for a bit — a difficult atmosphere. Then the prez opened her mouth:

“Right when I was wonderin’ what you were gonna drop… Ya don’t need to say somethin’ like that, Jinno-san. You might as well question da first law of thermodynamics if yer gonna ask if Himenokouji Akito = siscon — they’re both one of the world’s principles.”

“Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Nasuhara-san voiced her consent.

“He’s completely oblivious to things that aren’t little sisters. If there’s a sick sister in the east, he’ll go nurse her, and if there’s a worn-out sister in the west, he’ll go carry her luggage. Which brings us to the result that little sisters are center of his world, right?”

“Rather than a siscon, you could say he’s got OSD.”

Even Ginbei nodded in agreement.

“For him, this world is divided into two categories, namely little sisters and not little sisters. He makes every decision through the lens of that black and white dualism, and, well, I guess that’s quite a simple way to live.”

Hm?

Wha-what?

I’m somehow getting the feeling I’m being dissed sharply and outrageously, no?

“So i-it really is like that, right—?! It really is, right—?!”

On the other hand, Jinno-san made a ‘That’s exactly how I feel’ kind of face:

“Of course, I don’t have anything against viewing one’s little sister as something precious. In fact, I think it’s wonderful if siblings can get along. Yet, I don’t know about the details, but in Akito-kun’s case his being a siscon is even showing in his job, although it is a rather good thing during work, but anyway, Akito-kun is a real earth-shattering siscon, and he’s about to cross a somewhat dangerous line, right—?!”

“Ah, yeah, that’s right. Completely mah thinkin’.”

“That’s right, isn’t it? As expected, everyone has the same impression, right?”

“Yeah. That person’s tastes are really a problem.”

…Hm, somehow these people seem to have reached a mutual understanding. It feels like these are people who couldn’t say ‘The king has donkey ears[2]‘ even if they wanted to, but now all of them loosened up at the same time and started getting talkative…

Well, but certainly…

Whatever I say, it wouldn’t change the ‘official opinion’ on me, but…

“Hahaha. What is everyone saying? I’m not a siscon at all, you know? You guys are all so silly…”

“…I can only admire yer thick hide.”

While the prez was astonished by my reaction…

“How ’bout ya accept it already? Lookin’ at it from society’s point of view, ya can only be seen as the dreadnought among siscons, ya know?”

“No, no. Obviously I do view my little sister as something precious, okay? We’re siblings, and she’s my only family in the world.”

“We do understand that it’s natural to value one’s own family.”

Now it was Nasuhara-san’s cold eyes…

“However, constraints exist in our society for certain degrees of indecency, do they not? And no matter how anyone looks at it, Akkii, you break them all. You and others unfamiliar with your personality may not be aware of this, but your life consists of completely disregarding everything that is not your little sister. As people living under the same roof, from our point of view, this is indisputably clear.”

“No, no. Saying that I disregard everything else is going too far, right? Plus, I’m not as lenient towards Akiko as you suggest. Rather, I thought that I was treating her pretty strictly? Just recently, I agreed that Akiko and I would stay in separate rooms too even though it was so sudden. I was pretty proud of myself. And I saw it through even though Akiko was throwing a tantrum.”

“That’s true, if we’re lookin’ at your behavior on a superficial level, that is.”

And it was Ginbei’s time to strike.

“The fact that we know, or going by the phenomena we were able to observe, is that Akito is at best a normal sister-loving brother. Even factorin’ in that you and Akiko-kun were separated for six long years, well, we can’t say your behavior can be explained as just being familial affection. No matter how much you gloss over it on the outside, you can’t deceive us that easily. So, Akito, as people who are close to you, from our point of view the only thing we’re unsure about is how low your siscon-ism has fallen.”

“See?! See, see~?!”

After having one after the other back her up, Jinno-san had a triumphant expression.

“Isn’t that right? Everyone’s saying that, right? It’s like that after all, Akito-kun. You’re a siscon. Admit it already and come back onto the right path~ Okay—? Okay—?”

As she tried to get me to confess, Jinno-san turned her childish face, which wasn’t awe-inspiring at all, into the most majestic expression she could make. It was a pity, but it didn’t make much of an impression on me.

But on second thought, she really was a good person. She could have easily proven I was a sis-con by revealing those things: the photo of my sister I had laminated and stored, or that I wrote in my ‘sister diary’ every day.

Since the beginning, I had thought Jinno-san was a trustworthy person who could keep secrets, and indeed, she was as silent as a graveyard, also never letting anything slip. I was honestly happy.

I was happy and unexpectedly thankful that she was worrying about me, the author in charge of this or that. I was lucky to have Jinno-san as my editor.

Also, although they might all have shown it in their own way, the student council members were worried about me as colleagues, and for that I was grateful. Thanks to them, this time I was much more successful in my school life.

…But… This and that are different matters entirely.

Well then, let’s end this pointless argument.

“Alright, everyone, then let’s do this…”

“What’cha schemin’?”

“It’s simple. Why don’t we just ask the person in question?”

I said as I turned my word to my little sister, who hadn’t had the chance to interject yet.

“Oooi, Akiko. What do you think?”

“What could I think?”

My sister made a blank face and continued:

“I don’t think Onii-chan is a siscon at all?”

“EEEEH—?!”

Jinno-san was the first to react.

“W-What’s that?! Even though Akito-kun’s like that, Akiko-san herself’s denying it?! Eehm… EEH—?!”

“Y-You don’t have to be that surprised…”

Even though Akito was confused by Jinno-san’s intense reaction, Akiko explained:

“Onii-chan certainly sees me as someone precious to him, but it’s as siblings, nothing more.

“T-That’s not——”

“Or rather, if there was something more, I’d be bursting with delight. But in reality I struggle every day trying to turn Onii-chan into a siscon, so you couldn’t be further from the truth.”

“That’s probably right, but——”

“Or rather…”

My sister put her hands on her hips and said:

“For the sake of argument, let’s say that Onii-chan was really such an outrageous siscon, that I was the target of his romantic interest, and that I was aware of this situation. If that really were the case, then there’s no way I would chase Onii-chan with as much restraint as I do now, right?

“…Ah.”

Jinno-san became speechless and Akiko shrugged, continuing:

“Onii-chan will draw back If I come on too strong. I bear with the current level exactly because I understand this. But Onii-chan is a siscon and sees me as a potential love interest, huh? It really does sound like a dream. If that were true… I’d drop out of school immediately and look for a place where we could live by ourselves. I’d also hide the fact that we’re siblings from the people in the area. Then we could spend the rest of our lives as a happily married couple. Haa, that would be so wonderful… Well, that’s all a.s.suming Onii-chan is a siscon though.”

On seeing Akiko, who was talking with the blissful expression of a dreaming maiden, the other student council members wordlessly exchanged glances. It looked like they didn’t know what to say anymore.

Yep, looks like the match is over.

“And Onii-chan…”

“Hm? What is it, Akiko?”

“Could Onii-chan really be a siscon, see me as a woman, and all those other things?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

“Haa… I figured as much. It’s really just that, isn’t it? I knew it, I really did, but everyone was saying those things, so…”

“By the way, everyone’s saying stuff like I disregard anyone who’s not my little sister or that I’m about to cross a dangerous line, but what do you think, Akiko?”

“Do you even need to ask what I’m thinking? It’s not true at all. Not only is Onii-chan as cold as ice when I approach him, he talks to other women too… Onii-chan can’t be called a proper siscon like that. He needs to put a little more effort into becoming a siscon.”

“Yep, sorry. Not happening.”

“Please disregard anyone other than me and steadily cross that dangerous line.”

“Yep, sorry. Not happening.”

“Boo… Onii-chan, meanie…”

“Well, it’s nothing to be dejected over, right? It doesn’t change that I love you the most in the world… As a sister.”

“Uuuuh~… I’m happy to hear that, of course, but in the end I want Onii-chan to see me as a love interest!”

“Right, right. Not happening, absolutely not.”

“Then it’s fine not to see me as a love interest. Please marry me instead!”

“That hurdle is even higher than being your love interest.”

“Then it’s fine not to marry me. Now, please accompany me to the regional legal affairs bureau, stamp the official family register doc.u.ments with your Hanko, and submit them!”

“That procedure would lead to marriage, right? I refuse.”

“Then vow your eternal love to me in front of G.o.d!”

“Please give up already.”

“I understand. In that case…”

“Kissing, hugging, and patting your head are also a no.”

“Mukii! Onii-chan is cruel for predicting my requests and crus.h.i.+ng them all! As punishment, please sneak into my bed tonight!”

“Yep, got it. Let’s do that.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll take a nap, eat plenty of food that gives stamina, and drink nutritious drinks. And after I’ve flawlessly prepared myself, I’ll sneak into Akiko’s room. I won’t let you sleep tonight, okay?”

“Eh, I — but, um, so suddenly, I don’t know if my heart’s ready for this. Of course I’ve always been ready and on stand-by for that, but if it’s so sudden, I don’t know if this troubles me, or am I not troubled?”

“If you’d prefer, instead of waiting until night time, how about we do it right now?”

“EEEEEH—?! T-That’s… suddenly so proactive… Um, but it’s my first time and I don’t know if I can take an intense Onii-chan… Aaah, what should I do? I don’t know what to do now that it’s happening for real. Do I have time to look things up real quick…? Ah, excuse me, I’m going to take a shower before it! I’ve got that much time, right?!”

“Hahaha. You’re as cute as ever, aren’t you?”

“Muu—?! From how you said it, were you leading me on?!”

“Ahaha. Kinda. Hahaha.”

“G.o.dd.a.m.n[3]! Mercilessly toying with a maiden’s heart! Onii-chan’s a cruel person! Cruel, I say!”

“Hahaha.”

…Well, something like that.

Having dealt with my sister, who was now punching my chest repeatedly, this case came to a close.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Jinno-san, prez, Nasuhara-san, and Ginbei sighing deeply. I pretended not to see it.

‘No matter how ya look at them, they’re like love birds…’

‘I suppose the two of them fall under the cla.s.sification ‘even Kusatsu’s water can’t heal them[4]‘…’

‘Givin’ up is the only thing left…’

Or so I heard, but I pretended not to notice it again.

My sister and I were in harmony. This included the surrounding people too, of course.

Yep, looking at it that way is best.

[1]Tea. See here.

[3]In English.
[4]Kusatsu hot spring: The locals claim the hot springs can cure all forms of ailments except love sickness.